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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · game · wake · pound · calf · temple · stand · file

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. clip — to cut
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. file — a tool
  6. wake — a trail
  7. game — wild animals
  8. file — a document
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pound — a weight
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. game — a match
  16. clip — a video
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. file — a line of people
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pound — to hit hard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com